Malaysian government agrees to extend MH370 search agreement with Ocean Infinity

By Annette Gartland on June 29, 2026

Photo courtesy of Ocean Infinity, showing one of the company’s vessels in the Indian Ocean.

The Malaysian government has agreed to extend its agreement with the maritime exploration company Ocean Infinity to continue the underwater search for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean. This extension is effective for a period of 12 months, from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027.

Malaysia’s transport minister Anthony Loke said that the country’s Cabinet agreed on June 26 to extend the agreement.

“This decision is a manifestation of the government’s continuous and unwavering commitment to provide a closure for the next of kin of the passengers aboard flight MH370,” Loke said.

“This extension maintains all key terms and conditions of the existing agreement, including the application of the ‘no find, no fee’ principle.”

Loke said that, under that principle, the Malaysian government is not required to make any payment to Ocean Infinity if no aircraft wreckage is found.

However, a fee of US$70 million would be paid to Ocean Infinity if the wreckage of MH370 was successfully located.

Loke said: “The approval of this extension aims to allow the remaining search area of 7,428.54 square kilometres to be fully completed by the company.

“This move also takes into account new commercial contract commitments received by Ocean Infinity, which require the primary assets of the existing search operation to be temporarily redeployed to another location.”

Loke said that the redeployment and rescheduling of these assets could only be conducted between November 2026 and April 2027, during the calm sea season, to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the search.

MH370 went missing on March 8, 2014. The plane had 227 passengers and 12 crew on board and was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

While pieces of debris have been recovered that investigators confirm are from MH370, neither the main wreckage of the plane nor its voice and data recorders have been located.

Ocean Infinity conducted a brief search for MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean in March last year, but suspended that search on March 28, citing seasonal weather changes and unavoidable prior commercial commitments.

The company resumed its search for MH370 at the end of 2025, but confirmed on March 8 this year that its Armada 86 05 vessel had departed the MH370 search area in the southern Indian Ocean on January 23.

The CEO of Ocean Infinity, Oliver Plunkett, said the company remained committed to the search for the plane.

“It was important for us to take advantage of every piece of information and data available and go back, but despite all that effort, we haven’t been able to find it,” he said.

“Although this phase of the search has concluded, our commitment has not. We’re continuing to work with the Malaysian government in the hope of being able to return when circumstances allow.”

Malaysia’s transport ministry told the next of kin on March 8 this year: “As at the date of this update, the search activities undertaken have not yielded any findings that confirm the location of the aircraft wreckage.”

“If nothing else, we can say with confidence that it isn’t where we looked. That matters – it brings clarity, and it will help those continuing to study the evidence refine their thinking and shape future search strategies.”